Joshua Pacio predicts Jarred Brooks over Bokang Masunyane in title eliminator
ONE Championship strawweight champion Joshua Pacio (20-3) is currently awaiting his next assignment. After finishing Yosuke Saruta in his last title defense in September 2021, “The Passion” Pacio has to see how another exciting upcoming matchup will unfold before a challenger is named.
The number two ranked “Monkey God” Jarred Brooks (18-2) and number one ranked “Little Giant” Bokang Masunyane (8-0) will compete at ONE: Reloaded in Singapore on April 22.
While speaking with ONE Championship officials, Pacio recently shared his thoughts on that pending fight.
“Of course, I’m excited,” Pacio said. “We know how explosive these athletes are. They are both coming from wrestling backgrounds, so it’s exciting to see how this will unfold. Now we’ll see who’s next for me.”
The champion then predicted how he sees the fight unfolding and who he will be challenged by next.
“For me, if Bokang weathers the storm in the first round, he’ll be in a good spot,” Pacio said. “I’m not saying Brooks will gas out because he’s always well-prepared, but I feel like Bokang can control the second and third round.
“[For Brooks], just keep the pressure on from rounds one to three – basically the same tactic that he did against [#4 contender Hiroba] Minowa. One advantage that Brooks has is his experience. He’s been competing at the top level for the longest time. Bokang is top-level as well, but Brooks’ experience in competing there for a long time is his edge.”
“For me, Brooks has been more impressive,” Pacio said. “He faced two top-five contenders and beat them, but I’m not discounting the fact that Bokang beat Rene [Catalan] when he was still in the rankings, and he knocked him out quickly.
“This is hard, but I’m looking at the experience of Brooks, and given that it’s only a three-rounder, I’m siding more with Brooks by decision, mainly because of that experience.
“Both guys are amazing, and they have the ability to finish anyone, but I think this one’s headed to a decision. They come from the same background, and I expect this to be a grind in the wrestling department.”
The main card airs live on 22 April at 8:30 p.m. SGT/8:30 a.m. ET. Check your local listings for the global broadcast in over 150 countries. The full event will also be available on Watch.ONEFC.com, the ONE Super App, and ONE Championship on YouTube (some regions excluded).
The lead card, which broadcasts live at 4:30 p.m. SGT/4:30 a.m. ET, features the ONE Muay Thai debut of Anissa Meksen against Marie Ruumet, the ONE submission grappling debut of Mikey Musumeci versus Masakazu Imanari, and many more action-packed matchups.
ONE: Eersel vs. SadikovicFriday, 22 April 2022
MAIN CARD
ONE Lightweight Kickboxing World Championship(C) Regian Eersel vs. Arian SadikovicLightweight: 155 LBS – 170 LBS
ONE Women’s Strawweight Muay Thai World ChampionshipSmilla Sundell vs. Jackie BuntanStrawweight: 115 LBS – 125 LBS
Mixed Martial Arts(1) Bokang Masunyane vs. (2) Jarred BrooksStrawweight: 115 LBS – 125 LBS
Muay ThaiLiam Harrison vs. Muangthai PK.SaenchaiBantamweight: 135 LBS – 145 LBS
Mixed Martial ArtsMarcus “Buchecha” Almeida vs. Oumar “Reug Reug” KaneHeavyweight: 225 LBS – 265 LBS
Mixed Martial ArtsNamiki Kawahara vs. Danial WilliamsStrawweight: 115 LBS – 125 LBS
LEAD CARD
Mixed Martial Arts(3) Yosuke Saruta vs. Gustavo BalartStrawweight: 115 LBS – 125 LBS
KickboxingAndre Stoica vs Giannis StoforidisLight Heavyweight: 205 LBS – 225 LBS
Muay ThaiAnissa Meksen vs. Marie RuumetAtomweight: 105 LBS – 115 LBS
Mixed Martial ArtsWindson Ramos vs Woo Sung HoonFlyweight: 125 LBS – 135 LBS
Mixed Martial ArtsChen Rui vs Song Min JongBantamweight: 135 LBS – 145 LBS
Mixed Martial ArtsAyaka Miura vs Dayane SouzaStrawweight: 115 LBS – 125 LBS
Mixed Martial ArtsAbraao Amorim vs Dae Sung ParkLightweight: 155 LBS – 170 LBS
Mixed Martial ArtsAgilan Thani vs Jin Tae HoWelterweight: 170 LBS – 185 LBS
Submission GrapplingMasakazu Imanari vs Mikey MusumeciCatchweight: 143 LBS
Mixed Martial ArtsKeanu Subba vs. James YangFeatherweight: 145 LBS – 155 LBS
